Northern Compatriots in Southern Nigeria (NOCOMSON) have reacted to a comment attributed to Chief Edwin Clark after the Nigerian Naval Board approved a Naval Base in Kano.
In a press statement, South-South Regional Coordinator of NOCOMSON, Comrade Musbahu Saleh, noted that though Nigerians have the right to air their opinion on nation-building, the group condemns the act.
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The statement reads;
Our attention has been drawn to a divisive comment attributed to Chief Edwin Clark after the Nigerian Naval Board approved a Naval Base in Kano.
In an open letter on Monday, September 20, Chief Edwin Clark openly attacked President Muahammadu Buhari and the Chief of Naval Staff; and mocked the people of Kano State.
When it is our collective belief that Nigerians have the right to air their opinions on serious discussions of such magnitude that may lead to nation-building, we condemn Edwin Clark’s divisive comment, as such privilege should not be abused and turned into a forum for hate speech and/or inciting comments.
Part of our submission is that Clark is unacquainted with the requisites of Naval Bases, how they are being operated in advanced countries in the world and/or he is not aware that the Navy approved that Naval Bases be established in some states to which Kano State falls.
But Clark singled out Kano State for his scathing attack, which we believe is yet another failed attempt at distracting the Navy from its concerted effort to keep Nigeria “as one indivisible nation” and to sabotage the Buhari Administration’s efforts in containing the insecurity ravaging the country at various fronts.
Even at that we will allow regional jingoists, who hide behind the cloak of statesmanship, to do our only nation, Nigeria, a fatal blow through unguided utterances.
While we urged the Federal Government to remain focused, commend the Navy highest authority for this timely response to augment its operation; we urge Nigerians to listen to ‘voice of reason’ and disregard such divisive comments as they will not augur well for the country.
We refer well-intention Nigerians to the clarification the Navy made on this decision and the purpose of the approval.
Based on this, we urged fellow compatriots to not give a breathing space to opportunists like Clark, whose only stock in trade is to capitalize on the nation’s travail for material gains.
It is instructive to note that, even the Chief of Naval Staff, through the Chief of Training and Operations of the Navy, Rear Admiral Abraham Adaji, explained to all the critics, notably Chief Clark, in an elementary way, since they could not understand the basic information about Kano Naval Base, that,
“The Nigerian Navy is heavily involved in anti-insurgency, anti-terrorism, and internal security operations across the North.
In the North East, where we have Joint Task Force, the Navy has over 170 personnel fighting alongside the Army and the Airforce to combat the threats that we face.
Equally in the North West where we have the Joint Task Force, the Navy has over 250 persons that are fighting the counter banditry and all other issues of insecurity there.”
Therefore, we are calling on Edwin Clark and the like to know that it is not only in Kano that the Navy is present, where there is no water, as defined by Clark.
